ISLAMABAD, May 2: The government-opposition joint constitutional committee which met here on Friday with National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain in the chair agreed to take up seven points of the Legal Framework Order for discussion as its first task.
Identified as forming the ‘bone of contention’ at the first meeting, the seven points are: the LFO’s constitutional position; the president’s uniform; the NSC; Article 58(2)b; president’s discretionary powers; extension in the age of judges of superior courts; and the Sixth Schedule.
The meeting decided to start regular sessions on a daily basis from 10.30am on Monday.
The “constitutional committee” — the nomenclature given to it — comprises Senator S.M. Zafar, PML(Q); Dr Sher Afghan, PPP Patriots; retired justice Abdur Razzaq Thaeem, PML(F); Safwanullah, MQM; Riaz Pirzada, NA; Aitizaz Ahsan and Lateef Khosa, PPP Parliamentarians; Liaqat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, MMA; and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PML (Nawaz).
The constitutional committee was set up during talks between Premier Jamali and his coalition party leaders and the combined opposition’s parliamentary leaders on Friday and Monday.
The committee was asked to thrash out agreed points of the Legal Framework Order and draft a constitutional package for approval by the respective parties and then take it to parliament for assent by a two-thirds majority.
Briefing reporters after Friday’s meeting, Chaudhry Amir Hussain said that the meeting was held in a cordial and congenial atmosphere. Members expressed their determination to work hard to steer the country out of its constitutional crisis.
He said all the members showed a positive attitude during the two-hour long meeting which started at 10.30am and ended at around 12.30pm. They expressed their resolve to complete the task within the stipulated period. The speaker said the committee agreed to discuss and create consensus on all controversial issues which were pointed out during the summit meeting of government and opposition parties.
When asked about the seven points on which the two sides have differing views, the speaker asked Mr Liaquat Baloch of the MMA to elaborate.
Mr Baloch listed these as follows: The LFO is not part of the constitution and a constitutional package will be prepared for the assent of parliament by a two-thirds majority. The offices of president and chief of army staff should not be concentrated in one person.
The National Security Council was not part of the constitution. Article 58(2)b was not acceptable in its present shape. The president’s discretionary powers in their present shape were not acceptable. The extension in age of superior courts judges was also unacceptable. Different laws which have been made part of the constitution through sixth schedule were controversial and unacceptable.
